The Changing Times
by Flaming Trails
Summary: A short piece I wrote about the 2015 we see in my story Fixing Time.


The Changing Times

By Flaming Trails

A Back To The Future Story

Disclaimer: I don't own BTTF. If I did, Jennifer would have better lines in Part II.

Note: This takes place in the 2015 we see in "Fixing Time," right after Doc escapes the McFly house.

Wednesday, October 21st, 2015

Hill Valley, California

8: 33 P. M.

Lorraine took Marty's arm. "He didn't hate you. He was just angry and confused." She turned off the vidbook and gently brought him to his feet. "Come on, finish your pizza and then we'll deal with this fax." She led Marty back into the kitchen.

Jennifer was standing by the counter, another copy of the fax clutched in her hands. Her eyes flashed fire at her husband. "Marty, how could you? How could you do thish to us?!' she snapped. "We're already in more debt than we can handle! No shtore will accept our credit anymore! How could you be so sthupid ash to lose your job?!? I don't believe you!"

Marty's depressed look was replaced by an upset one. "We'd have more money if you didn't blow it all on booze and tranq!" he yelled back, face turning red. "You're only too ready to blame me for everything! Well, guess what – you're not perfect either!"

Marty Junior and Marlene looked at each other, lifting their glasses. These fights were becoming all too common. Despite Marlene's earlier assertion that Jennifer loved Marty, it was getting harder and harder to tell. "I'll call you back," Marlene told her friend. "Mom and Dad are having a reboot." The teens quickly fled the kitchen battleground.

"Whew!" Marty Junior swallowed his bite of pizza. "Man, if they're willing to fight in front of Grandma and Grandpa, they must be really pissed."

"Well, Dad just did lose his job," Marlene pointed out, leaning against the bookcase. "We might have to go out and download some ourselves." She sighed. "Hopefully Janice can keep that job at X-Mart open for me." 

She noticed the still-open vidbook on the table. "Guess Dad was watching one of his old movies again," she sighed. "I wonder what one it was this time."

"Play it and see," Marty Junior said, ripping at his pizza. Rolling her eyes at her sloppy brother, Marlene instructed the vidbook to start playing again.

Doc reappeared on the screen, teasing the teenaged version of their father. Both teens went dead white. "Dad! DAD! COME QUICK!"

"Not now kids!" Marty yelled back.

"Trust us, Dad, you wanna hear this!"

Marty stormed in, looking beyond pissed. "What can be so important?" he demanded, followed by Jennifer and Lorraine. "What??"

Marlene pointed to Doc. "Dad – _I saw him today._"

Marty's face darkened. "I'm in no mood for practical jokes, Marlene Loretta McFly."

"I'm telling the truth! He was at the door earlier, asking for you! It was Doc, I swear!"

"Yeah, he was at the Café 80s too!" Marty Junior added, nodding wildly. "He helped get rid of Griff and his buddies for me! I didn't think it was him before, because I knew--" He took a breath, continuing in a quieter voice. "Because I knew he was dead."

Marty looked from the twins to the screen, then back to the twins. "Honestly?" he said, voice shaking. "You saw the Doc? Alive?"

"It was him," Marty Junior insisted. "White hair flying all over the place, those intense brown eyes we see in all the pictures--"

"Hell, Dad, he was even talking kinda scientific," Marlene said, remembering her brief conversation with him earlier.

"But – but that couldn't be," Jennifer said, leaning on Lorraine. "He died almost 30 years ago. There'sh no way he could be alive."

"He looked pretty alive to me!"

"What on earth did he say to you?"

"He seemed surprised I didn't know who he was – or denied knowing, anyway," Marty Junior confessed.

Marlene thought hard. "He wanted to talk to you about some experiment he conducted a while ago. Said it probably had an impact on your life. I didn't know what he was talking about."

The strangest look appeared on Marty's face. "Holy shit," he whispered. "It has to be. . . ."

Suddenly frantic, he turned and ran out the door, almost forgetting to open it in his haste. "Doc! Doc!! DOC!!!"

"Marty?" Jennifer asked, her former anger washed away in confusion. "Marty, come back!" She tried to follow him, but was unable to keep her balance.

The twins ran to the door, to see their father racing madly up and down the street. "Dad!" Marlene called. "What the nump are you doing?"

Marty ignored them. "Doc! Please come back! Don't leave me here! Come back! I want to see you again! Doc!" 

He finally realized that he had been too late. Doc was gone again. He fell to his knees in the middle of the road, crying. "Doc. No. I can't lose you twice. Come back to me. Let me see you again."

Far off in the distance, the air began to shiver. A ripple appeared, passing over the town with increasing speed. Things began to change as the ripple moved over them. And as it neared Hilldale, they began to change drastically.

Marlene saw it first. "Oh, shit, more weirdness," she muttered. "What the nump is that?"

"I dunno, but I don't like it," Marty Junior said, getting frightened. "Dad, you better get in here!"

Marty didn't respond. He was too busy grieving his loss. _Why me_, he thought, heart aching with the pain. _Why always me?_

"Dad!" Marlene yelled, seeing the ripple approaching faster.

Marty finally turned around. His eyes locked onto the wave rolling over the neighborhood. Behind it were houses that looked somehow – different. Like they had been abruptly changed. _He's gone back,_ Marty realized. _Doc's gone back. He's back in 1985 and he's changing the future. That's what this is. The future changing._

Marlene and Marty Junior ducked inside, afraid to see more. Marty, on the other hand, felt no fear at all. In fact, he got to his feet and welcomed the time ripple with open arms. He didn't know what was on the other side of the ripple, but it had to be better than the life he was living now.

Seconds later, Marty Seamus McFly, the 47-year-old failure, was gone.

The End


End file.
